Topic: RAGBRAI Virgin Questions

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RAGBRAI Virgin Questions

(15 posts)

(13 voices)

Started 103 days ago by mentor58
Latest reply from Michrider 48 days ago

mentor58

Hey Gang,

I’m really looking forward to my first RAGBRAI, and have a few questions for you old hands that I haven’t seen answered anywhere. Now I understand that everybody has their own “RAGBRAI Experience”, and that what works for one isn’t right for somebody else. I’ve also done a number of Multi-day tours in the 4-5 hundred mile range, solo and with small to midlarge goups (30 – 500 people), so I feel like I’ve got some ‘touring chops’ and while it’s my first RAGBRAI, it’s not my first rodeo.

How congested are the roads? I know that 8500+ riders are going to take up a lot of room, but once you get maybe 10 miles out from the overnight town, how bad is it?

I know it’s not a group start (which would be insane), what’s the usual time the bulk of the riders start? I know that I’m always happiest when I hit the roads at first light or shortly after, some coffee / oatmeal at camp, and second breakfast about an hour or so later.

What it the typical experience at a average ‘pass-through’ town? I know that finding food / drink along the route isn’t a problem. How much time would you figure is an average for a stop in a pass-through. (I not thinking about this ride in any way as a chance to set a personal best for a distance, I’m just trying to get my mental pace set)

How about the overnight towns. I’m going with a charter to carry gear and make sure that I’ve got a place to setup my tent (BBC). I’m sure that the overnight towns roll out the red carpet, what’s the typical experience.

In any case, I’ll adopt my typical touring mentality. The journey IS the destination, and it’s good to have a plan, just so you can watch in detached amusement how far each day actually deviates from the plan. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a day bike touring (and that included the ones that rained all day and the ones with 115+ heat index) where after I got to my destination for the day, setup camp, had a bite to eat, that I could ever imagining being anyplace else, or doing anything else at that moment.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

For those who understand, no explanation is needed, and for those who don’t understand, no explanation will suffice.

mentor58Quote

Posted 103 days ago #7726
busymike

i leave about 15-30 minutes before first light and there’s already a steady stream of blinking red lights, but nothing more than 2-3 wide on the roads. i assume it gets much more congested as you leave later.

congestion on the roads thins in between each stop-through town, depending on the distance. but there’s ALWAYS a steady stream of bikes 2-5 wide. At most times, the right side of the road is just about full, so that if you’re trying to safely pass (I ride at a faster pace than most) you’ll need to hop over into the left lane.

each pass through town has similar food vendors as the previous day (realize that the vendors travel with ragbrai, so the breakfast vendors set up XX miles from the day’s start, and so on). The real value is finding the local vendors. Churches and local groups always have good, home-made cookin’ for less money than you’ll spend getting full at the vendors. Oh yeah, and pie. There’s generally always a band or music and a beer garden (though if you leave early and finish early, the beer tents arent quite rocking yet). Most towns string up cables to make parking your bike very easy.

For me, getting to the overnight towns was simply the best. I loved getting done early in the day (11am – 1pm depending on the day – I’ll definitely go a bit slower this year). I waited to eat a big meal until I got my tent set up for the day. If you finish early, you can get a prime camping spot if you’re using the RAGBRAI semi-truck. I found that the best value here was the all you can eat Hy-Vee buffet. You could get salad bar + chinese + all the rest for $7-10. And they’d let you keep your receipt and come back for dinner! Each overnight town had an array of things. Food vendors, bars, bands, beer garden, etc. Some towns’ local folk were nicer than others. I’m not a big partier anymore (even though I’m only 26) so I was usually at the pool each afternoon (entertainment + shower) and then reading a book until I fell asleep around 8-9.

The journey is totally the destination. Talk to people around you and make friends. If you ride consistently, you’ll see the same people each day.

I had a couple of beers each day (nothing better than a cold beer when it’s 110 outside). My recommendation is to check out the gas stations for silo (24oz cans) specials. You’ll save yourself a lot of money, and it’s pretty much anything goes in terms of open containers in most of the towns. I did feel weird enjoying a budweiser while camping at a high school.

Best wishes with your training. Don’t forget to include beer and pie in your training regiment.

busymikeQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7727
RonB

mentor58 said: Hey Gang,

How congested are the roads? I know that 8500+ riders are going to take up a lot of room, but once you get maybe 10 miles out from the overnight town, how bad is it? Very. More congested at the start, but any hill of any type will see wall to wall riders.

I know it’s not a group start (which would be insane), what’s the usual time the bulk of the riders start? No usual time, but I’d think that the bulk will start between 7am – 8am. However, lots start at or b4 dawn also.

What it the typical experience at a average ‘pass-through’ town? I know that finding food / drink along the route isn’t a problem. How much time would you figure is an average for a stop in a pass-through. Finding food/drink anywhere along the route is no problem; however, time can vary from no line to probably 15-20 minutes in line. If you don’t plan to stop, you should probably expect 10 minutes to get thru any town that is along the route since you’ll probably have to walk the bike thru. If stopping to eat, 30 minutes. If enjoying the festivities, you decide.

How about the overnight towns. I’m going with a charter to carry gear and make sure that I’ve got a place to setup my tent (BBC). I’m sure that the overnight towns roll out the red carpet, what’s the typical experience.All I’ll say is that it is an experience and you’ll enjoy it!

For first-timers most everyone rushes thru. Try to remember this as you can. Good Luck.

RonBQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7728
CyclingRoberto

Start when you want, always a crowd the first few miles. Dismount at each pass through town. I often never leave BBC in the overnight towns. That’s just me.

CyclingRobertoQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7729
danjpeat

Hey, I’m a Ragbrai virgin this year too, I’m wondering if I need to arrange for someone to carry my bag during the ride days, or if this service is provided already?? And whats the best way to find a ride back to start after the end? I will be riding a trike which doesn’t fold up or anything, so it takes up some space to haul around.

danjpeatQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7730
BillDana

It’s tough to get up, hit the restroom line, eat, pack, load your gear, load the bike and get ahead of all the people who are doing the same thing. Once you are in the pack, most towns become walk through towns. The streets in town are full of folks walking their bike, talking, and having fun.

In the end you will be in a river of bikes moving across Iowa. Relax, go with the flow. Laugh at the guys ******** and getting mad. Pray for the pace-line trying to wind it’s way up the far side of the left lane. And ride to the right so that pace-line doesn’t clip ya. Talk to anyone and everyone. Take pictures when you can.

No matter what happens, smile and think of the stories you will have to tell when you get home…!!!

BillDanaQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7731
jwsknk

The register has two semis to haul baggage. That’s included in the 150 fee.

jwsknkQuote

Posted 103 days ago #7732
Tony

mentor58 said: Hey Gang,

what’s the usual time the bulk of the riders start?
Overnight towns are empty by 8am. Most riders leave by 6-7am. Please note if you ride when its dark. You must have lights on your bike. You will be ticketed if you don’t.

What it the typical experience at a average ‘pass-through’ town?
Most towns will have some sort of theme. A street party or vending area near the town center. Usually near the fire dept there will be a water fill station. Some towns will have beer gardens and bands. Its really up to the towns. The churches will be selling pie and goodies.

How much time would you figure is an average for a stop in a pass-through?
RAGBRAI route is offical open 6am to 6pm. That is the times emergency service and sag is provided. So you have 12 hours to make your days trip officially… RAGBRAI uses the 10mph average in saddle speed. A long day is 80 miles. So that would leave 4 hours to spend in through towns. So doing the math on a long day about 30 minutes. At the meeting town (daily halfway point) you want to spend about 45-60 for lunch. It all really depends on how fast a rider you are.

TonyQuote

Posted 102 days ago #7733
mentor58

BillDana said: It’s tough to get up, hit the restroom line, eat, pack, load your gear, load the bike and get ahead of all the people who are doing the same thing. Once you are in the pack, most towns become walk through towns. The streets in town are full of folks walking their bike, talking, and having fun.

In the end you will be in a river of bikes moving across Iowa. Relax, go with the flow. Laugh at the guys ******** and getting mad. Pray for the pace-line trying to wind it’s way up the far side of the left lane. And ride to the right so that pace-line doesn’t clip ya. Talk to anyone and everyone. Take pictures when you can.

No matter what happens, smile and think of the stories you will have to tell when you get home…!!!

Bill, “Go With The Flow” pretty much sums up my touring mindset. I think I might have a bit of an edge getting going in the morning. I have a very small, very light alcohol stove that will boil up enough water for coffee and oatmeal in about 5 minutes. Instant oatmeal in a plastic bag, no clean up (other than spoon and coffee cup) needed. I know what porta-potty lines are like, so there is no getting around that.

I expect to have great stories when I get home, and right now I plan on also doing a live update on the road each day to CrazyGuyOnABike.com.

Hope to meet all of you there, I’ll be the guy on the bike.

Stev

mentor58Quote

Posted 102 days ago #7734
Tony

Road congestion can be from, you have the road to your self to clogged.

Here, I have these sections all to myself, kinda…

Note bikes as far as the eye can see.In this photo that was about 7 miles to the horizon. Typical mid day pack.

Typical mid pack crowd.

This insanity of cycling was caused due to Farm Boys breakfast. Note the mass continues to the horizon. Mind you this was the main pack and it was the first breakfast stop that morning. This will thin out by the first town and is a good reason to be on the road by 6 to 6:30 to avoid the mass. People start leaving around 5ish to avoid heat and the mass. Most leave around 7. The campsites are ghost towns by 8am. Some leave after 8 to avoid the mass. Note if you leave before dark. Have your lights on. You will be ticketed without lights.

You have 12 hours to officially be on the road, 6am-6pm. You know your average in saddle speed. Take the days distance to get average in saddle ride time. Subtract that from the 12 hours to get your total time to lounge in the thru towns. Divide that buy the amount of thru towns to get the maximum time per town. If you take the time now to investigate the towns. You will know ahead of time which towns to pass up, spend less time, or make time to see an attraction. I’m making interactive Google maps for our charter service. To help riders with this. They will be open for public viewing.

Overnight experience is what you make of it. Some nights you just have to call it a day and get rest. Others its party time. But always remember the most important thing about riding consecutive days. Is a good nights sleep. So bare that in mind if the next day is a long one. I like to watch the street entertainers. My favorite is hula hoop gal and the jugglers.

TonyQuote

Posted 53 days ago #160095
John L

Steve, With your experience you are ready. I am one of the early ones. I am an observer not really a big talker. The hills get crowed so be ready to clip out. In each pass through town there is plenty to do. I usually grab a bite and move on. My fun is had at the overnight town talking about the sites of the day. Gran a hot shower, Relax and have a beer and a meal.

John LQuote

Posted 52 days ago #160874
BigBird

Ride defensively in the pack. Keep to the right whenever possible. Beware organized team pace lines so you don’t get clipped. Especially beware pace lines where posers have jumped on and really don’t know how to ride in a pace line.

Stop at least once for Mr. Pork Chop. Always stop for Beekman’s Homemade Ice Cream. Chris Cakes, Pancake Man, Mama Rafael’s Breakfast Burrito, Farm Boys are all great breakfast stops and are usually set up about 10 or so miles out on the route in the morning or in the first ride through town. Look for church suppers at night. Good food, affordable. Town square is usually where the main food vendor court is set up if you don’t do church supper. Entertainment easy to be found. Bicycle repair vans travel the route or are stopped in ride through towns if you need repair. They are set up each night (usually in main campgrounds or off main area. They are fair in their pricing. (I’ve been on RAGBRAI 30 years and never been gouged).

The fun (for me) is on the ride. That’s where you meet the most people. The pass through towns really turn out. Go with the flow. RAGBRAI is not a time to be anal.

Beware the animal petting pens. Take it from an old farm boy — that baby pig is cute, but the scent will stay with you for the next 10 miles. Don’t assume Iowa is flat (though this year promises to be).

If you’re a beer drinker, follow the rules. So towns are open, and main street becomes a party. There’s a town about every 10 miles on RAGBRAI, so pace yourself if you drink. And know how many miles you have to ride before dark. Some towns have designated beer pens. Only one town (Council Bluffs) in my memory targeted RAGBRAI’ers for open containers outside of bars or beer pens. In larger overnight towns like Marshalltown or Cedar Rapids you’re back in the real world and normal rules apply.

Have fun. I always do!

BigBirdQuote

Posted 52 days ago #161033
Den

Mentor: Dude. Forget all this You can’t plan for RAGBRAI. Get in shape and then just show up. Get up and ride when you want. Enjoy the crowd. Go with the flow and forget all expectations. You can’t control it and until you’ve experienced it a few times you can’t anticipate it. It’s the State Fair on wheels. No other mere tour can compare.

“some people say that there’s a woman to blame, but I know, it’s my own damn fault.”

DenQuote

Posted 49 days ago #163853
BillPierce

There are as many ways to do RAGBRAI as there are riders. It’s well nigh impossible to be either the first or the last rider on the road. Other people’s advice is just that. Find what works for you. Don’t fight your own instincts, but be willing to be flexible about them. Let it happen rather than try to make it happen.

BillPierceQuote

Posted 49 days ago #163883
Michrider

I don’t remember who said this last year but I think it’s as good a description as I’ve seen. “RAGBRAI is a county fair married to the Mardi Gras, whose parents were a rock concert and a pot luck supper, all out on a week long biking holiday!”

MichriderQuote

Posted 48 days ago #164133